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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. board — a committee
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. board — to get on
  15. season — in sport
  16. foot — a measure
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. net — after costs
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com